


Chasing After Shadows

by Just_Will



Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Crystals, Developing Relationship, Growing Old Together, Life Partners, M/M, New Years, Police, Prompt Fic, Slice of Life, christmas truce, ghost speak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-20
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-07 23:49:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5475113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Just_Will/pseuds/Just_Will
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny has made peace with his past.  Dash has grown up from who he once was.  The two men are now together and things are going well for them.  That doesn't mean there isn't more to tell though.  This is the story of how their relationship progresses and how they grow together into more than what they used to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Stank

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kimurasato](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimurasato/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Chasing Shadows](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1445326) by [kimurasato](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kimurasato/pseuds/kimurasato). 



> This is all the fault of EmeraldTooth they said something and that gave me an idea and now I have to run with it. So thanks a lot for ruining this and making me write more to this, and I'm only being half sarcastic there so there's that.  
> Really though I got this idea for a bunch of one word prompts and I'll just see where it goes. You can leave me a word and I'll try to write something from it if you want. Will be good experience and a good exercise to do such I think.

It had been a good day for Dash. He’d arrested a guy that had been making threats, gotten all his paper work done ahead of time for a change, and he’d even gotten to go to the range earlier for some target practice. He’d managed a pretty decent score on the target and was really looking forward to heading home tonight with Danny.

Thinking about the night they were going to have, Dash didn’t even notice the sounds of some of the other policemen walking into the locker room where he was changing out of his uniform and into his street clothes. He was sitting on the bench in just his boxers and white t-shirt when the sudden boisterous laughter brought him out of his head. Looking up he saw Officer Grace walking in with a few of the other male officers. Grace was well liked on the force; runner’s build, dark tan skin, and a nearly black crew cut made him a very attractive specimen for the females who worked their but it was his friendly open personality that often won people over. He always had a joke on the tip of his tongue and often times seemed like a bastion of energy that no amount of caffeine could match. Regardless though even Grace looked just as ready to clock out as the rest of them as the way they seemed to be acting spoke of plans they likely had.

“He-ey! Baxter! You about to head out too, man?” Grace walked over to him with some of the other guys behind him.

“Yeah, I actually just got off duty about ten minutes ago. Just going to change, wait around for Danny so we can go back to our place.” Dash shrugged not thinking anything of what he just said. It was pretty standard knowledge that Danny and him were living together now after all so there wasn’t really a reason to try to glaze over that.

“Forget going home, Baxter,” Grace lightly punched his shoulder, “Come on out with us, tonight. Drinks and pool, first round is on Forte here seeing as he just passed his detective examine and is now up for a promotion when the position is available.”

Dash gave a slight two finger salute to the senior officer in silent congratulations but quickly turned back to Grace, “Really not much of a drinker, Grace, plus like I said I’m waiting around for Danny.”

“You don’t have to drink you can just play pool and shoot darts with us, and you can bring Fenton along too, the more the merrier. I mean come on; you want to just head straight home with your roommate? You should come out and check out the ladies at the bar if nothing else. Maybe you can hook up with someone, huh?” The officer wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at that and Dash just stared at him confused.

Dash wasn’t the kind of guy to walk in Pride parades or wear rainbow decals or anything but still he thought it was common knowledge that he was gay. It seemed that Grace had a lot of misconceptions about what his life was like and felt like correcting him on a few details but was stopped by a sudden stench reaching his nose.

It hit like a freight train and smelled like something from a septic tank. It was a stank that could fill up a room no matter how far away from it you were and Dash knew he wasn’t the only one who was smelling it from the looks the other guys were giving. One of them even had to run to bathroom where the sounds of retching quickly followed.

“What in the unholy name of Satan is that God-awful stench?” Grace pinched his nose groaning as the sound of footsteps suddenly reached their ears. Looking at where the steps were coming from, Dash suddenly balked at seeing Danny walk around the lockers with his uniform already off and looking like he was about to kill a man.

“Danny?” The look on his boyfriend’s face was something that concerned Dash for all of a second before he caught a whiff of the man and discovered that he was the source of the stench that was assaulting them all now.

“Oh, God… Fenton what the hell?!” It was rare these days for Dash to refer to Danny in such a manner; mainly saving it for when he was frustrated with the guy.

“Hamilton owes me dry cleaning for a year and a gallon of deodorizing spray.” Danny grumbled through clenched teeth and that just made Dash stare at him confused.

“Hamilton? You said you were covering for him today because he had to go to a wedding, right? What happened?”

“Supposed to be simple, right?” Danny flung his hands up, “Simple traffic duty. Go watch a road, write tickets to speeders, watch for suspicious drivers; simple! Does that mean my day was going to be simple? NO!” A string of near profanities left the man’s mouth as he walked further down the aisle to where his own locker was.

“Was just writing a ticket to this old guy that thought it was a good idea to drive around with both his tail lights out. Old guy was giving me lip and I was just trying not to tell him off. Then along comes this truck that had all this garbage piled up in the bed on their way to the dump. They take the corner too sharp and a bag flies out from the top of their pile and just friggin’ BURSTS on my back! I swear it had rotten meat, all manner of foul garbage, and what might have once been a couch cushion that had questionable stains on it and it all just hit me right in the back!”

“God, are you alright though?” Dash fretted going over to look at him while still trying to keep far away from him, “You need to get to a doctor for any shots or anything?”

“Nah, nothing actually cut into me or whatever, just likely ruined my uniform and I can only hope and pray that I can wash this off before going back to our place.” Danny puffed out and gracelessly plopped himself down on the bench to open his locker.

“I hope so too because there’s no way I’m going to let you in smelling like that.” And Dash was serious about that. He liked ot keep their place at least moderately clean and smelling nice and there was no way he was going to let Danny in if he couldn’t get rid of that foul stench.

“What?!” Danny shot him a hurt look, “You’d kick me out over a little smell?”

“Danny this isn’t a ‘little smell’ this is like rotten stench that would not come out! There’s no way I’m letting you in until you smell at least somewhat more human.” Dash crossed his arms trying to look authoritative but both men knew that Danny could take him if he so wanted.

“Dash you can’t keep me out of our apartment. Honestly where else would I even go?”

“Yes I can and I don’t know don’t your parents have a spare room in that ops center of theirs?”

“I am not driving clear across town just because you can’t handle a little stink.”

“Well you’re not coming home that much I can tell you!”

The two bickered back and forth about the matter. Dash was adamant about not letting Danny into their home while he smelled like that and Danny just wanted to get cleaned up the best he could and then go to their place and rest. Neither man was going to budge on the matter though, and both men seemed to forget that they were not alone in their arguing until they heard someone laughing. Turning around they stared as Grace and several of the other officers watching them.

“I’m sorry, guys,” Grace laughed while holding his stomach and rubbing at his eye, “But the way you two talk and carry on makes you sound more like a couple than just some friends living together.”

And that was what effectively stopped the argument between the two men. They stared at Grace as he tried to compose himself again and then turned to each other. Dash saw the confusion on Danny’s face as he looked between his boyfriend and the other officer.

“He doesn’t know?” Danny asked clearly confused.

“Well it’s not like we made any kind of public announcement here. I think the chief knows but only because we changed our contact information and emergency numbers.” Dash shrugged likewise feeling odd about Grace’s revelation on their relationship status.

“Yeah but… we aren’t hiding it.”

“True but we’re also not exactly together a lot around the prescient so it’s not like we can show it either.”

“Just what the heck are you two even talking about?” Grace interrupted them looking clearly confused and a few of the other guys around him just smiled either seeming to get it or already knowing about them.

“We’re together,” Dash explained as he pointed from Danny to himself.

“Like boyfriends or whatever. I’m bi and Dash is gay.” Danny further explained while he stared at Grace who’s eyes suddenly grew wide in shock.

“You got a problem with that?” The hint of aggravation in Dash’s voice was enough of a jolt to make Grace shake his head to clear out his shock.

“No! No-no-no-no-no! I am fi-i-ine with that. I don’t care who you two hook up with, good for you. Just didn’t know and now I do know and just like wow and it’s just really surprising and well-“

“We get it…” Danny groaned as he opened his locker and started to take off his shirt. Dash meanwhile stood behind him, effectively blocking everyone from seeing him. He was still pretty protective of Danny’s scar and didn’t like people seeing it or the large phoenix tattoo that covered the scar on his chest.

“Well you should at least try to wash up, maybe if you just scrub really hard you’ll get most of the smell off of you.”

“Thanks Dash, that mean I can come home to cuddle you tonight or are you still going to kick me out?” Danny teased as he reached for some soap, shampoo, towel, and a pair of boxers.

“Hey if this doesn’t work out and you still stink I’ll go back to our apartment and grab some stuff and then we can camp out on the roof tonight and cuddle there.” After Danny wrapped himself in the towel and tossed his likely ruined clothes back in he headed towards the shower area while giving a flat look at the blond.

“Really, Dash? You’d rather camp out on the hard concrete roof than just let me in our place and rest in our bed?”

“Yes, but that might not have to happen if you just get in the shower already and wash up!” Dash shouted and all but pushed the guy into one of the shower cubicles


	2. Christmas/Ghost Speak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The annual Christmas Truce party this year is special with it being Dash's first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wanted to get this out on Christmas Day but... Life.

Dash was not old, not by a long shot. Still in his 20s, strong, healthy, and (if the way Danny moaned some nights) virile as the best of them. That being said though this had to be the strangest Christmas party he had ever been to in his life and it was likely that it would never quite be topped.

He was standing in the mansion of Vlad Masters along with his boyfriend’s family and friends, his best friend, his best friend’s ghost boyfriend in a strange human disguise, and a plethora of ghosts that he thought he might have recognized from his days in Casper High. It was strange to see all the ghosts gathered together, talking, floating, drinking punch and having a merry time that Christmas Eve and Dash still couldn’t believe that this was something Danny normally did.

“Enjoying yourself, Dash?” Danny asked as he walked over with a glass of punch in both hands.

“I… Guess?” He shrugged and looked around at the gathered guests before looking back at his boyfriend, “I just mean this is all a lot to take in I guess.”

“Oh it’s not so bad, even Harley is taking it pretty well and he’s never even seen any ghosts before today,” Danny chuckled pointing towards his sister’s boyfriend whom she’d brought home for the holidays to ‘meet the family’.

“No offense to your sister, Danny, but Harley is eccentric and half-crazy already so of course things like going to his girlfriend’s home town to meet her parents, brother, and all the ghosts that live around town aren’t going to bother him.”

“Just because he wants to build tree houses…” Danny chuckled but was cut off quickly by Dash

“Not tree houses, Danny, he wants to build houses around trees. As in having a tree growing in your living room.”

“The idea is that it incorporates nature into people’s lives without destroying the ecosystem. It’s not a bad idea and Sam really likes the whole premise of it. He might already have an investor at this rate.”

“I still say that my point remains valid: the guy is taking all this ghost stuff in stride because he’s already one of those types that ‘thinks outside the box’ or whatever, but me? I’m still new to interacting with ghosts and all this! I mean I’ve met some of these guys before and I’m pretty sure some of them tried to kill me at one point!”

“Oh they were never actually after you, Dash,” Danny rolled his eyes and pushed the cup he was holding into his hand, “Most of the time they were after me and you and everyone else were just pawns in a mad chess game to obtain more power.”

“Oh well when you put it like that…” The blond man shook his head before taking a sip of the drink he’d been offered.

“My point is…” Danny continued pointingly ignoring Dash’s sarcasm, “Most of them have calmed down over the years and aren’t after my head anymore so even without the Christmas Truce in effect they’re still cool.”

“If you say so.” Dash shrugged at that and Danny gave him a quick peck to the cheek.

“I do say so, now if you’ll excuse me I have to go stop my parents and Skulker before they decide to see who can build the most destructive gun in Vlad’s basement lab.” And with a sigh that said he was already beyond done with this the man walked over to his parents and the robotic ghost who seemed to be arguing about something if the way they waved their arms around was any indication.

Figuring the other man would be occupied for a while, Dash decided to walk around and examine everything, maybe mingle some. It wasn’t that he was shy or anything, but he really didn’t know anyone here and the ghosts were still giving him looks that he wasn’t sure what to make of just yet. Danny had taught him a lot about ghost culture and such since they had gotten together, but he couldn’t recall any talks about why a ghost would be staring at a human.

“Nac uoy eveileb taht kcitspid yllautca thguorb taht yug ereh?” Dash only barely heard the words as he passed two female ghosts on his way to the refreshment table but he did glance at them as he passed to keep his ear out for what they were saying, finding it odd for them to be talking like that.

“Llew I od ton ees a melborp htiw ti. Ti si ton ekil eh si eht ylno namuh ereh dna eh si sa hcum a tseug ot Plasmius sa ew era.” Picking up a cookie to munch on Dash turned to casually look at the ghosts. They were still speaking that Ghost Language that Danny had told him about awhile back but what really surprised him was that he actually recognized one of the ghosts.

‘That’s Ember McClain.’ It took all his self-control not to actually gawk at the singer he had loved so much back when he was a freshman in high school as he watched the two.

“S’that ton eht eussi, I neam s’ti tsuj driew taht eht dik thguorb SIHT yug ereh dna taht er’yeht a elpuoc won!” Said singer waved her hand in the air looking very confused.

“Uoy evah a melborp htiw meht htob gnieb nem?” The other ghost spoke and Dash wasn’t really sure what to make of her. She looked almost like a genie or something from that old cartoon movie he’d seen as a kid.

“On! Fo esruoc ton! I tsuj tnaem taht eh deillub mih nehw yeht erew ni loohcs dna s’ti tsuj driew ot ees remrof seimene nrut otni srevol ro revetahw yeht era ot hcae rehto.”

“I esoppus I nac ees ruoy tniop ereht,” The genie ghost smiled at her and glanced his way seemingly noticing that he was watching them now, “Hguoht uoy evah ot timda that eh sah doog etsat ni citnamor srentrap ta tsael.”

“Ehh,” this time Ember looked over at him and caught his eye. She looked him up and down like she was sizing him up for something before nodding begrudgingly, “I esoppus os. Nehw eh dessap yb I thguac a thgis fo eht sdoog dna lliw timda taht gnimoc ro gniog eht weiv si tearg.”

Seeing that he had been caught staring at them, Dash decided that he might as well mingle with them. Finishing his cookie and taking another sip of his drink he walked over to them smiled.

“Hey, I hope I’m not rude or anything for asking but aren’t you Ember McClain?”

“Yeah, that’s me, blondie,” She smirked, “And you’re the dipstick’s sack-mate huh?”

“Ember!” The genie ghost lightly swatter her shoulder before she turned back to him, “Forgive her, she was raised on sarcasm and spite. My name is Desiree and I do not think we have had the pleasure of meeting before.”

“Right,” Dash chuckled and held out his hand which he was thankful she took, “I’m Dash Baxter and yeah me and Danny are dating and living together.”

“Charmed,” Desiree smiled at him before he turned back towards Ember.

“I’m not sure if you remember me, but I once worked security for you when you first played in Amity Park.”

Ember looked him over for a second time and squinted at his face before her eyes went wide again in realization, “Huh, oh yeah I remember you now. You and some Asian guy who kept screaming that you loved me… I guess I have no one to blame but myself for that one but it was still annoying.”

“Uhh… Sorry?” Dash shrugged not knowing really what to say to that.

“Ehh like I said, it’s my own fault since you were under my spell and all,” She waved his apology off and Dash smiled at her before he noticed Danny waving him over towards him and his friends.

“Well it was nice meeting you both, Ember, Desiree,” He smiled at each female in kind, “But if you’ll excuse me it looks like Danny wants me for something.”

The two ghosts waved him goodbye but before he got more than two steps he stopped and turned his head around to glance at the ghosts, “And by the way,” they looked up at him curiously and he couldn’t help the sly smile that crossed his face, “Danny thguat em woh ot kaeps tsohg.”

His accent might not have been real smooth yet or whatever and he might not have been totally fluent yet, but that didn’t stop the blushes on their faces from understanding what he had just said and what it meant. He understood what they’d said about him and while he wasn’t mad about it he still felt like pointing it out. Still though he felt like he owed them a little something from how embarrassed they looked so he hitched up his pants a bit to better hug his legs and straightened up with his shoulders back for them to look at. If they thought he looked good coming and going he might as well put some effort into looking better, though he knew he must have looked a bit weird as he walked over to Danny if the confused look on his face was any indication.

“Why are you strutting about like that Dash?”

“Ehh you never know when someone might be watching so thought I’d try to look more presentable.”

It was obvious that Danny had no idea what he was talking about, and Dash wasn’t going to tell him either, it wasn’t important. He did however glance back at the two ghostly ladies to see them whispering to themselves and still blushing. It shouldn’t have been funny to him but he still couldn’t help but smile at the whole thing.

The rest of the party passed without any real issue. Gifts were exchanged, songs were sung, and a good time was had by all. At one point Danny even managed to catch Dash under the mistletoe and dipped him in a kiss that left him a bit embarrassed but still feeling warm all over.

Getting into bed that night, Dash, warm and content with the holiday, thought about how nice it was to be spending it with friends, loved ones, and new family. This was the first Christmas that he and Danny would share together and if he had any say in it, it would be the first of many more, but those were thoughts for another day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a PAIN to have to re-write all the dialogue backwards like that. It's just weird and slow going.  
> That being said let me know what you think and leave any prompts you would like to read and I'll see if I can do them.


	3. New Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuck at the station on New Year's Eve is not exactly how Dash wanted to spend the night, but at least Danny volunteered to take someone's shift so they could spend it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still looking for any word prompts out there if anyone has anything just leave a comment here.

Alone in a police station being on call and doing paperwork was not how Dash would have liked to have spent his New Year’s Eve. Well alone was really a relative term he supposed, after all Danny was suffering along with him that night letting someone else go home and enjoy ringing in the new year with whatever custom they enjoyed. That said he supposed it could have been worse, at least they had a TV to watch the ball drop in New York when midnight rolled around.

“Quit brooding.” Dash looked up and saw Danny giving him a rather annoyed look.

“I’m not brooding,” At the look that he received from his comment Dash looked away with a scoff, “I’m not… I just wish we weren’t here. I would have liked to be in a bar or something to ring in the New Year with some drinks and just have some fun.”

“Yeah well you got stuck with desk duty tonight and since I didn’t want you to be alone I volunteered to take someone else’s shift so you can’t completely complain.” Danny smirked propping his chin up in his hand as his elbow rested on the desk he was at, “At least you are in good company if nothing else.”

“Wow, someone’s full of themselves, huh?” Dash rolled his eyes but still smiled at his boyfriend before he cast a glance at the clock on the wall, “11:52… almost time.”

“Yep,” the sounds of papers being shuffled around were the only other noises Danny made and it almost made Dash frown. He thought the guy would have been at least a little more excited to be ringing in the New Year together, he knew he was at least. Christmas had been small but it had been a blast to spend it with people who actually loved each other and he had actually wanted to spend the night with the Fentons, but then he had gotten desk duty so that had put an end to that idea.

“Do you normally do anything for New Years?” It wasn’t much of anything but Dash felt he had to say something; the quietness of the office was starting to get to him.

“Not really. I mean the last few years all I’ve really done is watch the ball drop, toast a cup of beer or whatever I have on hand to drink, and call my family the next morning to wish them a happy new year. This has actually been the first time since like high school that I’ve had anyone around to celebrate it with.”

And if Dash hadn’t been watching the other man, he might have missed the bashful smile that crossed his face. Thankfully he had been watching and saw the smile and he felt his heart warm and swell at the slight admission.

“Well this year we get to spend it together at least. That’s something.”

“Yeah,” Danny looked up at the clock and smiled as he stood up, “11:58. Why don’t we take a small break and ring in the New Year?”

“Sounds good to me,” Dash grunted as he stood up and popped the various bones in his back.

“I’m gonna grab some coffee, why don’t you turn over to the station showing the ball drop in Times Square?”

“That also sounds good,” and with that Dash walked over to grab the remote and started to flip through the channels until the live coverage in New York came on the screen. The countdown was starting and everyone was getting more and more excited as the clock on the screen turned 11:59 and everyone started to count down from 60.

“Hurry up, Danny, it’s almost midnight!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming, hold your horses already,” even from the break room Dash could hear Danny rolling his eyes at his antics, but it was about to be a new year, and after everything he and Danny had been through in this one he was looking forward to a new year and all that it might bring.

“Black coffee with two packs of sugar for you,” Danny said handing over a mug of hot coffee to Dash, “And one for me with cream.”

Dash took a sip of the bitter drink after thanking him and turned around to the TV. The countdown was at 20 now and the ball was at the top waiting to fall down.

Watching the screen Dash didn’t notice Danny until he felt his arm circle around his waist. Turning to look at the other man he smiled and wrapped his own arm around Danny to pull them closer.

“10… 9… 8… 7…” Dash returned his gaze to the TV as they started to count down and smiled at all the exciting faces that he saw, “2… 1…HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Confetti exploded on the screen and people cheered loudly as that old song played. People were kissing and hugging and jumping around and even though he wasn’t there Dash still could feel the same kind of excitement right there.

“Happy New Year, Dash,” Danny clinked their mugs together gently before he took a sip and Dash couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face.

“Happy New Year, Danny.” When he brought his mug down, Dash pressed a quick kiss to his forehead and then turned to watch the TV again, at least until he heard someone start to sing.

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?” To say it was surprising to hear Danny sing was one thing, but to hear him sing so well and with a hint of an accent was a whole other surprise that Dash never could have seen coming.

“For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne. We'll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.” Danny smiled up at Dash as he finished the chorus before he continued on. “And surely you’ll _buy_ your pint _cup_! And surely I’ll _buy_ mine! And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”

That was certainly a new line that Dash had never heard before. He thought the song was always just a short little ditty, nothing more than a simple few lines. Yet either Danny knew something he didn’t or he was making stuff up as he went along.

“For auld lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne. We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne,” As he finished the chorus again Danny put his mug onto a nearby desk and looked up at Dash before he wrapped his arms around his waist. Dash quickly put his own mug down and let his own arm fall around Danny’s waist before the shorter of the two started to sway them a little to the song he was still humming.

“We two have run about the slopes and picked the daises fine, but we’ve wandered many a weary foot since auld lang syne. For auld lang syne my dear, for auld lang syne. We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.”

“Are you making this up as you go along?” He couldn’t help himself, it was so sweet to hear Danny singing and Dash just couldn’t help but melt under the dulcet tones that came from his boyfriend’s mouth.

“No it’s an old song that our grandmother used to sing to us as a lullaby when Jazz and I were small. I’m pretty sure we both know it by heart.” And with that Danny cleared his throat and Dash leaned down to put their foreheads together as he continued on with the song.

“We two have paddled in the steam, from morning sun till dine, but seas between us broad have roared since auld lang syne. For auld lang syne my dear, for auld lang syne. We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne. And there’s a hand my trusty friend and give me a hand o’ thine. And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne. For auld lang syne my dear, for auld lang syne. We’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.” Danny sung softly with that slight accent he had suddenly produced as he finished the song and it actually sent a shiver down Dash’s spine at how wonderful it sounded.

“You should sing more often, I like that accent you use.”

“Just a bit of my Celtic heritage is all, it’s nothing.” But from this distance Dash could easily see the blush that crossed his face from the compliment.

“If you say so, Danny,” And Dash left it at that. They’d have to get back to work soon enough but for now the two men were simply content to just sway together to the old song that Danny had sung without a worry or care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I read somewhere that they head-cannoned Danny has being of Celtic heritage and... I sort of like the idea so I just went with it here. Dash's roots are strongly German, Norse, and a little bit of French on his mother's side though it's unlikely any of that will come up here.  
> I also think that Danny has excellent lung capacity and control which makes him a pretty good singer while Dash can maybe hold 3 notes.


	4. Crystaline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While looking for a gift, Danny gets pulled into something... Good? Bad? He's honestly not sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Spyderlynn who suggested "Crystalline" as a word prompt. Sorry it's not much but it just felt like going further than this would just be rambling.

“Is there something I can help you with, sir?”

Danny looked up from the display of diamonds and jewelry to stare at the woman behind the counter. He wasn’t even sure what he was doing looking at the tiny crystals and gems in the display case but something had just lured him over. He had seen plenty of stuff like this working a few cases so he knew a few things about everything, but that still didn’t explain why he was over at this jewelry store. He had come to the mall to buy something for Dash’s birthday and as far as he knew the blond man wasn’t the type to wear rings or anything.

“I don’t think so, I’m just browsing. To be honest I’m not even sure what I’m doing over here,” He laughed nervously and hoped the woman didn’t take offense to his statement. Looking up at her though he saw that she had a sly smile on her face like she was in on a secret he wasn’t.

“If I may be so bold, sir…” She chuckled and waved her hand to her left towards an impressive amount of rings, “Our women’s engagement rings are over here and if you can give me an idea on what kind of woman she is, skin color, hair color, eye color, her birthdate, or anything then maybe I can help you select a nice gem, though most men find that you can’t go wrong with the classic diamond.”

“Oh no!” Danny waved his hands frantically, “No, no, no… I am most certainly not looking to propose to a woman. That is the very last thing I am here for.”

“Oh, well our men’s engagement rings are right here then,” She waved her hand at the assortment of bands that were in the next case undeterred by his frustration and Danny felt like all the blood drained from his face.

“No, I’m sorry I wasn’t looking for a ring for my boyfriend either; we are not ready to get married or anything.”

“But do you want to?” It was a simple and a sincere question but for some reason it made Danny stare at her like she had just grown a third arm.

“I…” Danny thought on the question for a moment. They had been together for well over a year now, going on two soon, and they had known each other for years. Despite their high school conflicts they had actually grown up and gotten closer now. Danny shared his trauma with Dash and Dash in turn shared his own insecurities about himself. Things were great for them, so shouldn’t he want to get married one day.

“I guess…?” He shrugged and the woman just gave him a small smile and nod in understanding, “I just… never gave any thought to getting married for… well a number of reasons.”

“It’s fine I understand completely,” she smiled again and handed him a pamphlet that was about the rings the offered, “If you need any ideas on choosing a ring maybe this will help, and if you ever do decide to pop the question I hope you consider our store for your purchase.”

Danny just nodded his head and walked away from the store and back into the mall. He looked down at the brochure and sighed at the sight of all the gems and bands that were arranged around the cover. Just holding it was making his palms sweat thinking about it. Marriage was a huge thing and he honestly wasn’t sure if he was ready for that level of commitment.

‘But we’ve been living together for a year, things are good, we’re both in stable jobs…’ Danny sat on a bench and ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, ‘What would being married really change? I wonder though… Dash Fenton or Danny Baxter…’

Either name sounded weird to him but before he could worry himself more about that he took a deep breath and pushed the thought aside. There would be time to think about that later. Looking at the pamphlet he did let himself smile as a vision of his ringed hand being clasped in a slightly larger one. It might be nice to consider one day, but for now he had a gift to look for.

‘I’ll talk to Kwan and my friends about it later I guess.’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompts for words are still open if anyone wants to shoot me one. Now onto another thing.


	5. Hero Complex

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Being a cop is dangerous, being a cop that's a part time superhero can be even more so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really happy with this but I think this is pretty good considering. Let me know what ya think.

“And ANOTHER thing…!” Chief Coyle raged at Danny from inside his office while Dash stood outside watching the door. The chief had been yelling at Danny for the past 10 minutes and honestly Dash was getting more and more concerned with it. Everyone else in the precinct was going about their work but kept glancing between the door and Dash and it only helped to make him feel more tense.  
Dash really didn’t have all the details from what had happened but from the sounds of it the whole situation had been a mess. No one but the punks Danny had taken down even got hurt but things hadn’t been handled well and he’d almost been shot which lead to the chief yelling at him the moment he came in.  
“Man, he’s still ranting at Fenton?”   
Turning around Dash saw Officer Grace standing with a cup of coffee in both hands. He offered one to Dash and he took it before giving him a nod in thanks and turning back to the door.  
“Yeah… I can’t make out everything but I don’t see what the big deal is? Danny’s fine and besides a near miss nothing else happened so what’s the big deal?”  
“The big deal…?” Grace asked incredulously and Dash glanced at him questioningly as he took a sip of his coffee, “You mean you don’t know what happened?”  
“All I’ve heard is that he busted up some punks and that it didn’t go exactly as planned.” Dash shrugged.  
“Baxter…” Grace looked at him with a mix of pity and amazement, “Your partner or whatever there didn’t just bust up some punks. He pretty much jumped into a fight with 5 guys to protect some woman from being raped without any backup, calling it in, or even announcing himself as an officer. He just charged in blind and half-cocked like some hero out an action movie. Honestly it was sloppy and he’s beyond lucky that he’s not dead.”  
That certainly caught Dash’s attention and he turned to fully look at Grace before he looked back at the Chief’s office where his yelling was just barely muffled.   
“Has he always been like this?” When Dash turned to raise a brow at the question, Grace just jerked his head at where Danny way, “Your guy. You two have known each other since high school, right? Has he always had a hero complex or is this new?”  
“He’s… been like this for as long as I’ve known him. He always strove to do the right thing no matter what it cost him.”  
“Hmm…” the officer took a tentative sip of his coffee and Dash just watched him waiting for something else to be said, “So… does this hero complex of his explain that nasty scar on his chest too?”  
Ten years ago, Dash would have punched him in the face. Bringing that up made his blood boil with so much rage that he could just about spit. It was a testament to his time maturing and growing as an individual that he did none of that and just set his mug down with just the smallest bit more of force than needed and turned his whole body to face Grace. He puffed out his chest and got close to his face baring his teeth and made sure he took up as much as his range of vision as possible.  
“That… is personal… and something that is none of your business, Grace.”  
“Whoa, man! Sorry!” He quickly backed up with his hands raised, “I didn’t mean anything bad I’m just trying to put together what it is with this guy. I mean he’s a badass cop, great at undercover work, friendly, hardworking, good with kids during events and stuff, and he’s always been right there ready to get the job done. This though… It just seemed off and I just had to wonder about some things.”  
“Like I said…” Dash turned away and picked up his mug, “That scar is a personal matter and I’d appreciate it if no one brought it up with him. It’s a bad memory that he has to live with and he’s just recently been getting to the point where it doesn’t bother him so bad.”  
“You mean recently like… since you guys got together or like since he got that ink?”  
“Little bit of both I guess, though I’d like to think I helped a lot more before that. That was more like putting nails in the coffin to try and finally move past things.” It was actually a more complicated issue than that, but really there was only so much Dash could say to explain things without making things worse.  
“You really love him a lot, huh?” When Dash looked back at him with a questioning glare he just shook his head and smiled, “It’s nice… seems like you two really click well together. I hope you two have many happy years and invite us all to the wedding.”  
Dash just sputtered at that and felt his face heat up at such an idea. It wasn’t like he was opposed to getting married or anything but that just felt like something so huge and massive that it shouldn’t have been mentioned so casually. Still though the smug grin on Grace’s face was enough to tell him that this was the reaction he had wanted and walked away once he got a good eyeful.  
“Just let me know if you need a tailor, I don’t know if either of you guys plan on wearing a dress but if you do I know someone who could probably get it done in a timely manner.”  
“NEITHER OF US WOULD WEAR A DRESS, YOU PRICK!” Dash shouted red faced and humiliated before he suddenly remembered where he was and saw that he now had the entire precinct’s attention.  
Feeling beyond humiliated at what he had shouted Dash quickly made his way towards the bathrooms where he splashed some water on his face and thought about everything. He thought about how Danny had charged in like he apparently had, about all that Grace had brought up, and finally he thought about marriage.   
They’d been together for a while now. Nearly two years of dating and almost nine months of living together soon, but marriage was something that Dash wasn’t sure was open for them. Sure they could get married now that it had been legalized everywhere, but would they want to was the question.   
Dash didn’t come from a very loving family after all, so he didn’t have any real idea how things would be. Then again he had to wonder why they would want to get married and what would that even mean. They were together now, they were living together now, they shared a bed, shower, and heck Dash had even borrowed some of Danny’s underwear by accident one morning when he was running late, what would even be the point in getting married.  
“I’ll have to ask Kwan about that I guess… don’t want to freak out Danny with anything like this, especially after today,” Casting a glance at the wall like he could see right through it and into the office Danny was currently in, Dash just sighed and hoped that he just got off with a warning.   
“Would suck to be fired after all he’s done for the city.”  
Finishing up and drying his face, Dash finally managed to pull himself together and walk out of the bathroom. Everyone was still watching the office door, but thankfully it seemed like things had calmed down a bit. The chief wasn’t yelling loud enough for anyone to hear at least so that meant that things were going to be over soon.   
Barely a minute later the door handle started to turn causing everyone to walk away and go about their business. Chief Coyle stood at the threshold of the door with Danny right in front of him looking down dejectedly and Dash tensed up at the sight.  
“You did good work, Fenton, but you can’t be doing things like this. I don’t want to have to call your parents or your partner and tell them you’ve gotten hurt because you got careless. Alright?” He placed a hand on the smaller man’s shoulder and when Danny nodded the chief nodded and gave the shoulder a small squeeze, “Good, now go file your paperwork and head on home. We’ll see you tomorrow.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
As Danny started to walk away Dash managed to catch the look on his face and immediately felt the need to comfort the man. Sad and dejected made up the entirety of his body language and he looked like he had gone through the ringer a few too many times. Dash couldn’t even think of a time he’d ever seen the man look like that except maybe during that weird spirit week their freshman year, but that was a memory better left buried.  
“Danny, hold up!” Dash called out just loud enough to grab his attention and walked up to him as he stopped to turn around to face him. His eyes regained a bit of their spark at seeing him which made Dash feel a bit better but still it was nowhere near how he wanted Danny to look right now, “C’mon, grab your paperwork and let’s sit down in the break room for a bit. I’ll fix ya some coffee.”  
“That… that sounds good, Dash, thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said not a lot with this and not exactly what was wanted by the prompt but I think this works. Basically what Danny did was dangerous for someone and he could have been seriously hurt if he hadn't been who he was. As it stands everyone thinks he's just extremely lucky and pretty good but that doesn't excuse Danny not following protocol.  
> Anyway that's this prompt out of the way if anyone has anymore let me know as I've only got a few left for now.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment, leave a word prompt (Keep the words G rated please), and we'll see what comes from this.


End file.
